Safety appliance for elevators.



P. HINKEL.

SAFETY APPLIANGE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 9, 1909.

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

P. HINKEL. SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR ELEVATORS. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 9, 1909.

9?,491, Patented Dec.27, 1910.

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P. HINKEL. SAFETY APPLIANCE FOB ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 9, 1909.

Patented Dec. 27,1910.

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1m: NORRIS PETERS an AS more a c PETER HINKEL, 0F YOUNGSTOVIN, OHIO.

SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR ELEVATORS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

Application filed December 9, 1909. Serial No. 532,230.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER HINKnL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Safety Appliances for Elevators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to an automatic safety appliance for elevators, and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide a novel appliance for preventing elevator cages or platforms from descending when accidentally released, either by the breaking of a hoisting cable or mechanism in connection with the elevator proper or the ma chinery employed for moving the same; second, to furnish an elevator with positive and reliable means for frictionally gripping the guide rails or sides of the elevator well and preventing a sudden descent of the elevator; and third, to accomplish the above results by an automatic appliance that is simple in construction, durable, applicable to various types of elevators and highly eflicient for the purposes for which it is intended.

The above and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by an appliance that will be hereinafter specifically described in detail and then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawings forming a part of this specification, wherein there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention; but it is to be understood that the structural elements thereof can be varied or changed, as to the size, shape and manner of assemblage without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings :-Figure 1 is a front elevation of the appliance, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a detached hold-fast means adapted to form part of the appliance, Fi 3 is an enlarged end view of the appliance, Fig. 4: is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the same, Fig. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view of the appliance taken on the line VV of Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the gripping mechanism adapted to form part of the appliance, Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional View of a portion of the gripping mechanism, Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the heads forming part of the gripping mechanism, Figs. 9 and 10 are perspective views of structural pieces forming part of the appliance and Figs. 11 and 12 are sectional details.

In the accompanying drawings the reference numerals 1 denote the vertical guide ways of an elevator well or shaft, these guide ways being adapted to guide an elevator structure or cage, comprising vertical side frames 2, a transverse beam 3 and a platform 41. The guide ways can be made of steel or wood, and it is in this connection, that I reserve the right to use my automatic appliance in connection with any means employed for guiding an elevator in a shaft.

The reference numeral 5 denotes a cross head to which are attached two sets of hoisting cables 6 and 7. The cross head 53 is provided with a central eyebolt 8 which is connected to a hook-shaped arm 9 pivotally mounted between bearings 10, carried by the transverse beam The cross head 5 is furthermore connected to speed levers 11 and 12, the former being pivotally connected to one end of the beam 3, as at 13, while the latter is connected to the former, as at 14-. Chains 15 and 16 are employed for eennecting the cross head 5 to the levers 12 and 11 respectively, the chain 15 being attached to the free end of the lever 12 while the chain 16 is attached to the lever 11. The lever 11 has the free end thereof connected to a speed cable 17 adapted through the medium of machinery (not shown) to limit the speed at which the elevator descends. his speed cable and its operating mechanism are commen to variety types of elevators and constitutes a safety factor in addition to my appliance. The elements ust described constitute a hold-fast device adapted to cooperate with a speed regulating mechanism in actuating my appliance.

Suspended from the platform 4 of the elevator is a frame or housing for the gripping mechanism of my appliance. The frame or housing comprises longitudinal T- bars 18 and connected to the ends of said bars are angularly disposed sets of hangers 19 having the ends thereof connected together by longitudinal bars 20. The hangers of each set are spaced apart by spacer blocks 21. Pivot-ally mounted between the bars 20 by pins 22 are pivoted links 23 having the upper ends thereof pivotally connected by pins 2% to cam shaped members 25, these members being adapted to frictionally engage the guides 1. The cam shaped members 25 have smooth faces adapted to frictionally engage the guides, and provision is made for lubricating the members upon the pins 24, whereby the members will positively cooperate in retarding the rapid descent of an elevator. Furthermore, the arrangementof the cam shaped members compensates for the wear upon the guide ways and said members will l end thereof pivotally connected to the plat evenly grip the guide ways irrespective of whether one side is worn more than another side.

The reference numeral 26 denotes an inverted channel bar extending from one T- bar to the other, centrally beneath the platform 4. The depending flanges of the channelbar 26 at the ends thereof are cut away as at- 27 and the depending flanges 28 of the Tbars 18 are cut away, as at 29 to provide clearance for the ends of the inverted channel bar The ends of the channel bar 26 are connected, as at 30 to the lateral flanges of the T-bars 18.

Connected to the depending flanges of the inverted channel bar 26 are vertical hangers 31 and angularly disposed hangers or braces 32 having their lower ends connected to a channel bar 33 extending from one set of the bars 20 to the opposite set. The ends of the channel bar 33 are cut and sheared, as at3land the vertical flanges bent outwardly to provide lugs 35 which are secured to the bars 20, as at 36. The ends of the channel bar 33 extend under the bars 20, as best shown in Fig. 4 and are bifurcated, as at 3? to provide clearance for the guides l.

lvfounted in the channel bar 33 is a large leaf-spring 38 supporting an I-beam 39. The Lbeam has the web 10 thereof cut away, as at etl with the upper flange d2 extending beyond the lower flange of the beam, said upper flange extending over the cam shaped members 25 and provided with a bifurcation or slot -l3 to receive the guide 1. Secured to the web 40 at the ends thereof by bolts M and nuts are blocks &6 and the ends 47 of stub shafts d8. The stub shafts d8 extend into the cam shaped members 25 and in conjunction with the I-beam 39 are adapted to move said members. The ends of the web 40 of the I-beam 39 bear against heads 4C9, these heads being provided with openings 50 for the stub shafts t8 and with slots 51 for the ends of the upper and lower flanges of the I-beam. "he heads 1'9 are retained in posit-ion by angularly disposed side plates 52 having the ends thereof connected to the heads 49, as at 53. while the opposite ends are connected to the web, as at 5%. The inner sides of one set of hangers 31 are proided with inwardly projecting lugs 55 adapted to engage the upper flange 42 of the I-beam 39 and limit the downward movement of said I-beam.

The platform 4 is provided with a depending bearing or hanger 56 and fulcrumed in the lower end of the bearing is an arm 57 having the rear end thereof extending under the upper flange l2 of the I-beam and pivotally connecting with the web 40 thereof, while the forward end thereof extends from under the platform 4 and is provided with a pin 58. Loosely mounted upon the pin 58 is one end of a lever 59 which has the opposite form t by a pin 60. Revolubly mounted upon the pins 58 and 60 are grooved pulleys or sheaves 61 and 62 and extending under the sheave 62 and over the sheave 61 is a cable 63 having the lower end thereof provided with a weight 64 The upper end of the cable is fastened at the top of the wellor shaft in which the elevator moves, the cable 63 being of a suflicient length whereby the elevator can move freely. The weight 64: is sutlicient to move the Lbeam 39 should the spring 38 become inactive, the said weight and the spring constituting means for raising the I-beam when occasion demands. The weight 64 normally remains at the bottom of the elevator shaft and is simply employed to insure a movement of the I-beam should the spring fail, the weight or spring actuating the cam shaped members to retard the cage without a jarring movement, irrespective of whether the cage is heavily loaded or not. The other end of the pin 58 is provided with a link 65 connected to the lower end of a chain 66 adapted to extend upwardly .over a revoluble sheave 67, carried by the outer end of a right angular extension 68 of the beam 3. The chain 66 adjacent to the sheaves 67 is provided with a turn-buckle 66 whereby the length of the chain can be adjusted. The end of the chain 66 is provided with a slotted member 69 adapted to fit over the hook 70 of the arm 9 and a pivoted arm 71, carried by the speed lever 12.

lVith the elevator in operation, the normal position of the parts is as follows: The slotted member 69 is in engagement with the arms 9 and 71, these arms holding the member69 and the chain 66, which retains the forward end of the arm 57 in an elevated position also the end of the lever 59 connected to said arm. lVith the forward end of the arm 57 in an elevated position, the I-beam 39 is lowered, the spring 38 under tension, and the pivoted cam shaped members 25 held out of engagement with the guides l. I will first assume that the set of hoisting cables 6 break. The weight of the elevator cage will then be transferred to the cables 7 and as one end of the crosshead 5 lowers and the opposite end raises, the speed lever 11 will remove the slotted niember-69 from the hook 70 of the arm 9. When the member 69 is released, the chain 66 allows the arm 5'7 to shift and through the medium of the spring 38, the I-beam 39 will be raised and cause the cam shaped members 25 to frictionally engage the guides 1 and hold the elevator from further descent.

Suppose the hoisting cables 7 break, the end of the cross head 5 to which the cables 6 are attached will be raised and through the medium of the chain 15 the speed lever 12 will be raised and the member 69 released. The same action of the gripping mechanism takes place as just described when the hoisting cables 6 break. It is obvious that when both sets of cables break that the arm 9 will release the member 69. -\"Vhen the speed of the elevator cage increases beyond the danger point, the speed lever 11 will be raised and the member 69 ejected. from the arms 9 and 71, allowing the gri 'iping mechanism to place the cam shaped members in engagement with the guides 1.

its an additional safety factor in connection with the elevator appliance, I attach a rod 67 to the free end of the lever 11, said rod having the lower end thereof pivotally connected to the crank 67" of a shaft 6?, revolubly mounted in the side wall of the cage. the end of the shaft extending into said cage having a crank or lever 67 which permits of the operator of the lever elevating the speed lever 11 should the speed mechanism fail to operate. It is therefore that besides my appliance being automatic, it possible to be manually operated should the operator of the elevator cage believe that the elevator is descending too rapidly.

From the foregoing it will be observed that I have devised. a novel safety appliance that can be actuated by a breaking of the hoisting cables and by an increase of speed beyond. a certain predetermined point. The gripping mechanism of the appliance is arranged to serve in either connection. while the mechanism employed for governing and controlling the operation of the gripping mechanism is maintained in a position to operate in either emergency.

Having now described my invention wnat I claim as new, is

1. In a. safety elevator appliance, the combination with guides, an elevator cage slidablv mounted between said guides, and hoisting cables for elevating the cage, of a gripping mechanism adapted to be carried. by said cage, said gripping mecnanism comprising pivoted cam shaped members adapted to engage said guides, means adapted to normally maintain said members out of engagement with said guides, means adapted to release the first mentioned means due to an excessive speed of said cage, said means including a chain for retaining said cam shaped members in an inactive position, arms for holding said chain, speed levers for releasing the chain from said arms and means actuated on the breakmg of a hoisting cable for actuating the speed levers.

2. In a safety elevator appliance, the coml'iination with guides, and an elevator cage movable between said guides, of a gripping mechanism adapted to be carried by said cage, said mechanism comprising an I-beam, cam shaped members adapted to be moved by said l-beam to engage said guides, means engaging said I-beam and adapted to retain said members in an inactive position, and means actuated by an excessive speed of said cage for releasing the first mentioned means.

3. In a safety elevator appliance, the combination with guides, an elevator cage movable between said guides, and hoisting cables for elevating the cage, of a g=ipping mechanism adapted to be carried by said cage, said mechanism con'iprising an I-beam, cam shaped members adapted to be moved by said Z-beam to engage said guides, means engaging said I-beam and adapted to retain said members in an inactive position, means actuated by an excessive speed of said cage for releasing the first mentioned means, said means including a chain, arms adapted to hold said chain, and shiftable speed levers actuated on the breakage of a hoisting cable for releasing the chain from said arms.

a. In a safetv elevator appliance, the combination with guides, and an elevator cage movable between said guides, of a gripping mechanism adapted to be carried by said cage, said mecianism comprising an I-beam, pivoted cam gripping arms adapted to engage said guides, means carried by the ends of said lt-beam and adapted to move said members into engagement with said guides, means carried by said cage and adapted to raise said I-beam and place said members in engagement with said guides, and means actuated by an excessive speed of said elevator cage for releasing the first mentioned means and placing said members in engagement with said guides, said means including a pivoted. arm connecting with said I-beam, a. chain. connecting with said arm, arms adapted to normally hold said chain, and speed levers adapted to be moved to release said arms and the chain connected thereto.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PE-Ti le, filbils: EL.

-Witnesses Pn'rnn Vnr'rnn, AARON Es'rnnnv. 

